


The Man That Appears In A Dream

by TheWhiteWolfe309



Series: Guardians [1]
Category: Warehouse 13
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-03-26 13:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3852388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWhiteWolfe309/pseuds/TheWhiteWolfe309
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when someone has a dream about a man they have never seen before?</p>
<p>(I don't own Warehouse 13, only the oc. Characters might be slight ooc and this isn't exactly canon with the original series. Don't like it? Don't read it. Simple as that.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 - The Dream

If you looked at the B&B, you would think everyone was asleep. But even in the middle of the night, nothing was as it seemed. Artie was in the dining room, researching and catching up on paperwork that was often neglected for chasing after artifacts. Leena was in her own room, staring at the wall while she drank a cup of iced tea. Pete, Myka, Claudia, and Steve were all asleep in their own rooms, each one in a different stage of sleep.

The dream came to her, slowly at first. She looked around and couldn't recognize the city she was in. It was a large city, with towering skyscrapers, busy streets and sidewalks People bustled about her, seemingly ignoring or not caring about her. Vendors were standing about, calling out their wares and offering good prices. Slowly, she started to walk, being pushed along by the crowd. She had a strange feeling, telling her to continue walking, told her that she would find something that was important. As she walked, she tried looking closer at the people around her. But the closer she looked, the fuzzier their faces became. This part confused her as she reached an intersection, the crowd suddenly lessened and parted, giving her a momentary clear view of the other side of the street. Across the street, a young man locked eyes with her. He was well dressed, with a full grey pinstriped suit and tie. His dirty blonde hair was slicked back and had a shine on it. His dark blue eyes never blinked as he stared at her, ignoring the cars that buzzed past, causing their bodies to sway slightly in the wind. What stood out the most to her, was the scar that started just above the bridge of his nose and crossed his left eye and ended on his cheekbone. It was an old scar, from what she could tell by the pale color of it. Something drew her eyes down and she stared at the item he held in his hands, hidden by a small cloth. She didn't need to be an expert to know that it was an artifact. That thought shocked her, causing her to blink. When her eyes opened again, he was gone, disappearing into the suddenly crowded sidewalk. Something tugged on her conscious as she took a step out into the road. She heard a car horn go off before suddenly everything went black.

She awoke with a start, bolting upright as her breaths came in heavy, short bursts. The whole dream had freaked her out, causing her to panic when she didn't know if there was a reason to. As she tried to regain control of her breathing, a soft knocking on her door caused her head to whip around to stare at the door. "Claud, are you alright?" the voice of her best friend and partner filtered through the door, forcing her into action. She quickly hopped out of bed and hurried over to the door, opening it to find Steve standing there in his pajama pants and grey shirt. He looked her over worriedly, noting her panicky look before leaning forward and whispering. "Claud, what's wrong?" She just stepped back and motioned him to follow her. She hopped back onto her bed and he joined her shortly after closing her door. She scooted over and hugged him tightly. His response was to hug her back and wait silently while she tried to put her thoughts into words. After a bit, she fell on the feeling of panic and started from there. "I...I had a weird dream...and what I saw scared me, a lot." she whispered, glancing up at him as he looked thoughtful. He nodded and she continued speaking. "In my dream, I was in a large city, and it was super busy. I don't know why but I started walking, following the stream of people to an intersection. When I was there, I saw someone..." she was interrupted by Steve shifting slightly to pull her closer as he listened. After settling down, he nodded at her and she continued. "I don't know why, but for some reason I knew he was important. And...when I saw him, he was holding an artifact." the last part was whispered but he still heard. She felt him stiffen slightly and he thought about it for a few seconds. "Are you sure it was an artifact?" he asked quietly, causing her to stifle a snort. "I'm pretty sure. I don't know why, but I'm positive it was an artifact." she whispered, feeling her panic die down as she tried to hold back a yawn. Steve started rubbing small circles into her back, causing her eyes to droop. "Maybe you should tell Artie this." he muttered softly, glancing down at her. She was too tired to speak, so she just nodded and then allowed a huge yawn to escape her mouth. He smiled softly and tucked her into her bed before placing a small kiss to her forehead. "Goodnight Claud." he whispered before sneaking out of her room and back into his own. As he left, she yawned again before finally falling into a peaceful slumber.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Truth Comes Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Artie finally finds out why Claudia has been acting weird all morning. And he's not pleased about this in the least.

The morning started out normal enough. Everyone in the B&B woke up, albeit at different times, and wandered downstairs after completing their morning rituals. Breakfast was served and the conversation flowed easily as the group chatted and joked with each other. But Claudia wasn't as chatty as normal, and it was getting noticed. Steve kept glancing between her and Artie, as if trying to get her to tell Artie her dream last night. She would answer with a quick shake of her head and he would frown slightly at this. Pete stopped the conversation twice to ask her if she was alright, and she would answer with a yes. They finally dropped it after the second time he asked and she snarked at him to mind his own business. Artie watched all this from the other side of the table and quietly reminded himself to make her tell him when they reached the Warehouse.

Breakfast didn't last very long as Artie found they had gotten a ping. He quickly disappeared, off to the Warehouse as Pete and Myka left the table to go pack and prepare for wherever Artie was going to send them. Leena quickly cleared the table and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Steve and Claudia alone at the table. Steve leaned over and stared at Claudia until she reluctantly looked up. "Why didn't you tell Artie?" he asked quietly, watching her closely. Claudia sighed, knowing she couldn't get away with lying to her best friend. She shook her head slightly before responding. "It wasn't the right time." even to her it sounded like an excuse, but it was the closest thing to the truth she could think of. Steve watched her for a few seconds more before nodding and standing. "Come on, let's go see what Artie has for us at the Warehouse." he said, glancing at her to ensure she was going to follow. Claudia rolled her eyes and followed suit. "Probably some more inventory." she grouched, not liking the idea of being stuck in the Warehouse with Artie. He nodded before grabbing his coat and keys and ushering her out the door.

At the Warehouse, Claudia quickly grabbed a clipboard and a list of artifacts before disappearing into the Warehouse. Steve just sighed softly and grabbed another list before following suit, leaving Artie alone in the office. He quickly grabbed what information he could and sent it to Pete and Myka before leaning back in his chair and staring out onto the Warehouse floor. He wouldn't say it aloud to anyone but he was a bit worried about Claudia. Whatever she was hiding from him had shaken her up a bit, as she wasn't her normal conversational self. He suppressed a yawn, trying to resist falling asleep, having been unable to get much sleep last night because he was in the Warehouse for most of the night researching and looking for artifacts in the world.

On the Warehouse floor, Claudia was already starting to get bored with inventory and she had just started not even two minutes ago. She grumbled under her breath as she turned a corner and walked down yet another aisle, checking things off the list as she went. After a few minutes of silence she suddenly had the feeling that someone was watching her. Spinning around quickly, she could see no one there. She slowly shrugged it off before turning around and continuing down the aisle. The feeling never left her though, and was now accompanied by a chill running up and down her spine. Again she spun around, and this time there was someone there. It was the same young man she saw in her dream. She stared for a few seconds before spinning around and running down the aisle, hell bent on getting away from the person. Sprinting around a corner, she spared a glance back over her shoulder and didn't see him anymore. As she turned around to look where she was going, a person appeared around a corner, hearing the scream she never realized she had let out. Unable to stop in time, she crashed into him and they both went tumbling down in a pile of arms and legs. Trying to regain some sense of what was going on she struck wildly at the person, only to have it blocked. "Claud! It's me! Steve!" managed to filter into her panic and she stopped, realizing who was under her. Steve looked very worried at this point, and as soon as they untangled themselves and stood, he turned back to her. "What happened? Why did you scream?" he asked, his voice coming out sharp with worry. She muttered something that he couldn't quite make out and he leaned in slightly. "I'm sorry, what was that? You have to speak up." she sighed before looking up at him, fear evident in her eyes. "I saw him Steve. I saw the man in my dream." he felt a cold chill before grabbing her hand and dragging her back towards the office. "Where are we going?" Claudia was a little confused, but figured where they were going before Steve even answered her. "We're going to go see Artie. If this person, whoever it is, is here in the Warehouse, then we have a security issue." She nodded numbly and followed quietly, not looking forward to the lecture she was going to get.

Artie leaned back in his chair and listened silently as Claudia recounted her dream and what happened in the aisles. After she finished he leaned forward and stared into space, thinking about everything before turning to the computer and typing away. "It sounds like you've met someone we all thought to be dead." was all he said, focusing on the computer and missing the weird looks he got from both Steve and Claudia. "Come again?" Claudia asked, confused as to what he had just said. He didn't seem to hear her though, still typing away and muttering to himself. "Artie!" at this, she got his attention and he swiveled to face her. "What does that mean? Do you know who this guy is?" he sighed before nodding and pointing at a picture he managed to find. "Yes. I do know. This, is a picture of the Guardians, last line of defense against the world finding out about the Warehouse." the other two leaned in, looking at the picture with curiosity. Claudia pointed to one of the men who where in the picture. "That's him! That's the guy I saw in my dream and in the Warehouse." Artie nodded, not looking happy about this in the least. Steve noticed. "What's wrong Artie?" he asked quietly, crossing his arms and watching Artie's face carefully. "He's the only Guardian left. He was there when they were almost wiped out, and witnessing something like that left him...a little off. Cracked would be a better term for it. He didn't exactly go rogue, but he also didn't let the Regents control him like they controlled a lot of the other Guardians. He still did his job and he did it brilliantly. Just...not the way the Regents would have had him do it." he glanced at the other two, his face set in a serious look. "If he's back you'll be sure that the Regents don't know. And if he finally broke it won't be good for us, or the Warehouse."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Sorry this is so long. Kinda putting together the whole oc here and finding out about him. Read and Review please, if you would. It helps me get better at my job of pulling you into the story and entertaining you.))


	3. Chapter 3 - Dropping In On The Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The man in the dream appears once more, but this time during a retrieval. Afterwards, things don't go as planned for either team. Pete and Myka end up jailed and Steve and Claudia are in danger, but are bailed out as the DC team get bailed out and are literally handed the artifact. No one knows what's going on. But there is one constant: Artie is not going to be pleased about this.

In their line of work, there is no such thing as an easy mission. Something always happens to throw things off. Both teams know this, but didn't expect anything close to what actually happened.

Pete and Myka were on the trail of an artifact that was causing people to act strangely, almost like fugitives, and distrust anyone with a badge. They had asked around but found out only that it was happening in a certain part of the city. Myka sighed as once again they ran into a dead end before turning to her partner who was currently eating some donuts he had stopped to get because he was hungry. Which wasn't much of a surprise to her, it was more annoying than anything. "Pete, can you please stop thinking about food and help me figure out what the artifact is and where it is right now?" the exasperation in her voice was evident and caused him to pause and glance up to her. Swallowing quickly, he wiped a bit of chocolate from the edge of his mouth before responding. "Well, we know it's happening in a certain spot in the city, right?" she nodded, crossing her arms and leaning against a light post. "And we know it's not in that area, right?" he continued, throwing the empty bag away before turning back to her. She nodded again, wondering if her partner had an actual idea on where the artifact was. "Well, if it's not here, then it's clearly somewhere else." he clasped his hands together. "But what if it's somewhere nearby? Able to affect these people from a distance that could be missed but still within eyeshot?" with this thought, they both glanced up. There were many tall buildings, but one stood taller than the rest. They both glanced back at each other and nodded before turning and heading towards the building.

In Seattle there was an artifact that caused people to go crazy and it was Steve's and Claudia's job to collect it and take it back to the Warehouse. As they strolled down the street, Claudia had a sudden feeling of deja vu. She glanced around quickly but couldn't spot anything that she recognized from her dream. Beside her, Steve noticed her actions and glanced at her. "What's wrong Claud?" he said softly, leaning over just slightly to hear her better. Claudia swallowed quickly before speaking. "I don't know...I'm just getting a wicked bad feeling of deja vu." she glanced around once more before sparing Steve a worried glanced. His face mirrored hers as he casually glanced around, his eyes searching for the person in her dream. They continued to walk down the street, avoiding people and peddler's alike. They soon reached an intersection and stopped for the light. Claudia was trying to control her breathing at this point, all of what was happening so familiar to her. She slowly looked up and across the street and immediately made eye contact with a pair of dark blue eyes. Without realizing it she gasped and took a quick step back, causing Steve to immediately turn to face her. He saw her eyes glued to across the street and turned to see the same man she had mentioned in her dream. Without breaking visual contact, he half-turned to Claudia. "Is that the artifact?" he whispered, sparing quick glances between the two. She couldn't speak, just nod slowly as the man across the street inclined his head towards them before turning and disappearing into the crowd. Claudia let out a small shaky breath before turning to look up at Steve. "I think we need to call Artie." she said softly, already pulling out her Farnsworth.

"How did this happen?!" Beside Pete, Myka gasped out, both tired as they raced down the street. They were chasing and being chased. After having confronted a group of businessmen in the building, one of the men had made a break for it. Pete had missed his name being called as he chased after, too focused on getting the artifact away from the man before anything else happened. The chase caused such a thing, two people chasing a man screaming about them wanting to kill him that it caught the interest of the local police department. They responded quickly and were now in a chase that had so far led three miles away from the area being affected by the artifact. "I don't know." Pete finally gasped out, sparing a glance behind him where the police officers were starting to catch up to them. "But if we don't do something soon, I think we're going to end up in jail." he winced slightly as he felt a light pain in his side. This wasn't supposed to take this long, and they were both starting to suffer from the affects of running for too long. "Thank you, Pete, for stating the obvious!" he heard Myka gripe next to him but ignored it, focusing more on the fact they were finally starting to close the gap between them and the man. They were soon within reach and Pete took a running leap, tackling the man to the ground and pinning him down as he screamed even louder. Myka ran up and immediately started searching his pockets, hoping to find the item before they themselves were caught. Pete heard the officers getting closer, loudly ordering the pair to stop. "Hurry Myka." he hissed, glancing behind him and then back to Myka. She only nodded before quickly finding the artifact and slipping it into her pocket. They both suddenly heard the click of a safety turning off. "Show us your hands!" one of the officers spoke, the chase having affected him badly as he sounded very winded. The duo glanced at each other before slowly standing with their hands in the air. "Do we get our one call?" Pete jokingly asked as they were handcuffed and led to a waiting police cruiser.

The call to Artie had been brief and horrible. At least, that's how Claudia felt about it. He had seemed a little more grouchy when he found out that not only did the mysterious man had shown up in Seattle, but he also had the artifact as well. He had yelled at them to find the artifact and then hung up, leaving the pair alone in a small park. "Well...what do we do now?" Steve's voice filtered into her thoughts. He had been standing in front of the bench she was sitting at but after the call he had resorted to pacing quietly as he thought. "I guess we try to find out where he went." she said softly, watching Steve pace quietly. She returned to her thoughts before he suddenly stopped and turned back to her. "Do you think you can do your hacking thing and try to find anything about where this guy could be in Seattle?" she heard Steve ask, causing her to look up. "That's not a bad idea Jinksy." she said brightly, grabbing her bag and pulling her laptop out and setting it up on her lap. "Give me a few minutes, ok?" from the nod from Steve, Claudia turned her attention to her laptop and started typing quickly. It took a little more than a minute before she clapped her hands together, causing Steve to stop his pacing and sit next to her to look at what she found. "Did you find out where he is?" he asked, already feeling excitement rise within him at the chase. She nodded before pointing at a picture taken from a security camera in a fancy hotel. There was the man, holding something under a cloth as he talked quietly with the clerk at the table before grabbing what looked like a key card and disappearing into a waiting elevator. The pair quickly high-fived before grabbing their stuff and quickly heading towards Steve's Prius. They now had a lead, and they weren't going to let him get away.

They had been waiting in the holding cell for about a couple hours already and Pete was bored. He had tried making small talk with the couple of people already in there but they didn't seem too keen on talking so he had given up. After that he had spent some time trying to count how many bricks there were but soon got bored with that as well. Now he was trying to take a quick nap but it was being interrupted by his partner who sat next to him muttering quietly to herself. He spared her a glance before turning away from her and closing his eyes again. After a few minutes the muttering got a little louder and he sighed quietly. Looked like he wasn't going to get any sleep at this rate. He sat up again and stretched. "Geez Mykes, give it a break already." he yawned, looking over to his partner. She spared him a glance before shaking her head and returning to her earlier muttering. "What are you even doing anyways?" he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and giving her his entire attention. "Nothing." she said quickly, a little too quickly. At the look her partner gave her she sighed softly. "Artie should have bailed us out by now. Why hasn't he? What could possibly be taking him forever?" Pete sighed softly before rolling his shoulders a bit, sore from the awkward position he had been in. "I don't know Myka, maybe he's trying to find another artifact." he shrugged lightly before giving her a side hug. "Don't worry about it though. He won't leave us in here." his bright attitude was infectious, and Myka felt the beginnings of a smile tugging at the edge of her mouth. "Alright. I believe you." she said softly and the soft crows of victory from her partner made her laugh quietly. "Lattimer and Bering?" an officer appeared at the gate with keys and looked at the pair expectantly. "Are we finally getting out of here?" Pete's voice sounded hopeful and he slowly stood. At the nod from the officer, he punched the air excitedly. "Yes!" he cheered, running in little circles before waving at the other people in the cell and almost running through the door, dragging his partner with him. When they stopped by the front desk to pick up their gear, Myka noticed a man wearing a suit waiting by the front door. As they approached, he motioned them closer to them. When they complied, he held out his hand, the artifact shining brightly at the pair. "I think you dropped this." he said quietly, before giving it to Myka and disappearing quickly out of the door. Pete glanced at Myka before pulling out a static bag and opening it. Myka quickly dropped it in the bag and Pete sealed it. "Shall we finish the snagging, bagging, and tagging?" he jokingly asked, offering her his arm. She took it and they both happily walked out of the door and headed towards the nearest airport.

They made it to the room after Steve had effortless managed to get the information out of a starstruck clerk. They paused and listened quietly at the door. On the other side, there were sounds of what seemed like searching and people talking quietly. Steve glanced at Claudia and with a nod from her knocked loudly on the door. There was a sudden silence and the pair showed a look, a little surprised at the reaction they got. A faint click made Steve quickly spin and shove Claudia out of the way as a shot rang out, bursting through the door and embedding itself in the wall across the way. Steve yanked a stunned Claudia off the floor and shoved her hurriedly towards the elevators as whoever was on the other side quickly walked to the door and yanked it open. "Great, a gang." he hissed as he caught sight of the man who held a gun. Claudia saw the man who quickly spotted them and shouted to the others inside the room and then started running towards the duo. "What do we do?" she whispered, a little in shock at the moment. Steve quickly smashed the button to the elevator as the man with the gun slowly raised and aimed towards them. Before he could pull the trigger however, a door right next to him opened and he was suddenly thrown into the wall. Steve and Claudia stared as the man from before walked out the door and looked down at the gangster. "Tsk tsk." they could barely hear him speak in what sounded like a condescending voice. "You shouldn't point guns at people, it's impolite." he kicked the gangster in the face, effectively knocking him out before turning to the others who followed. There were three left, and they each had a different look of varying fear. "One chance to walk away." the man spoke up again. "If you don't take it, I am not responsible for what happens to you." this seemed to snap them out of their reverie. Two of them turned and ran down the hall, heading towards the stairs while the last took a quick swing at the man. He leaned to his left and let the gangster momentum carry him forward before punching him in the throat, taking him out quickly. The man stood straighter before turning to the pair and nodding. "The artifact is in the room. Do be careful with it, Miss Donovan." he stated simply before stepping over the bodies and walking down the hall softly humming a tune to himself. They shared a surprised looked before Steve shrugged slightly and went to bag the artifact. To Claudia, this had to be one of the weirdest retrievals she had since she joined the Warehouse team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((And they finally meet the stranger. Also, I'm sorry about not using names for artifacts, I'm not that creative when it comes to stuff like that. R&R please.))


	4. Chapter 4 - What They're Hiding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team dug into the file on the mysterious man. But this brings around a irritated looking Mrs. Frederick, and the team finally learns something that was as closely guarded secret since Warehouse 9.

The warehouse office was in a whirlwind. People ran back and forth looking for clues and researching. Artie was currently speed reading about three different books at the same time while Pete and Myka sat at the small round table each with their own book. Claudia and Steve were at the computer, Claudia typing quickly and Steve hovering behind her reading off a paper. Everything was silent for a few moments before suddenly Artie grumbled something and tossed the books down onto the table. "I'm finding nothing here. Any luck Claudia?" he asked, a faint hint of pleading hidden within his voice. Claudia spun around and faced the room, a confident smirk on her face. "I didn't find out anything about our guy, but I did find something to help us learn." she teased before spinning back to face the computer. "There's a classified file that's locked here with a weird code." this brought everyone over to the computer, jostling for position as Claudia smirked and started working on cracking open the file. A few minutes of silence before Claudia leaned back in her chair, proud of her work. The file was opened on the computer screen, pictures and reports spread out so that they all could read it. Artie leaned in and started reading quietly as the others shared a look before reading. Everything was silent for another few minutes before a voice spoke up behind them. "And what do you think you are doing?" They all jumped, Pete accidentally smacking Steve in the arm and Claudia banging her knees on the desk. They spun around and Mrs. Frederick stood there, looking far from happy. "Um..." was all Artie could say, looking at the others as if asking them for help. Myka answered the request, taking a step forward before staring at Mrs. Frederick. "What is a Guardian?" she asked carefully, feeling the others tense up. Claudia carefully reached behind her and was going to close the file before Mrs. Frederick stopped her with a look. "There is no need for that, Claudia. It would appear that it is time to let you in on one of the Regents closely guarded secret." she walked forward and motioned to Claudia who quickly hopped out of the chair. She sat down and looked over the file quickly before speaking. "What have you read so far?" Claudia answered this. "Well, something about a Guardian and somehow they guard the Warehouse against outside people finding out." she glanced at the others who just shook their head, having nothing more to add to that. Mrs. Frederick nodded before turning to face them. "And you looked this up because?" she asked, locking eyes with Claudia who looked away with something akin to embarrassment. "Well...uh...this is going to sound crazy...but...I kind of..." she was interrupted by a voice behind them. "But you saw the Guardian in a dream and he appeared to you on a mission?" For the second time they all jumped, this time Artie was the one getting hurt as Claudia stepped on his foot. He stifled a growl and looked up to see Adwin Kosan standing by the door that led to the rest of the Warehouse. They were too stunned to speak, and weren't given a chance as he walked further into the room. "It was bound to happen sooner or later." his eyes never left Claudia and she looked confused at this. "What do you mean?" she asked softly, surprised enough to look up from her shoes. He stopped and slid a hand into his pocket before responding. "Every time the Warehouse moves and we get new agents, he disappears for a while. Safer that way, as he puts it. And we tend to agree." his gaze wandered over the other agents before returning to Claudia. "But when he feels the time is right he will send a message to the Caretaker of the Warehouse in the form of a dream." Claudia glanced at Mrs. Frederick before returning her gaze to Mr. Kosan. Before she had a chance to speak, however Artie stepped forward. "But Mrs. Frederick is the Caretaker of Warehouse 13." he said, confusion etching itself into his forehead. Claudia nodded and Mr. Kosan spoke up, holding up a hand to stop the other agents from speaking up in their own confusion. "Yes. But to a Guardian, it does not matter if there is a 'to-be' in after the Caretaker or not. In his eyes, you Claudia, are also considered a Caretaker." Claudia gulped as the other agents looked nervous. Steve reached down and lightly grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze as Pete and Myka took a careful step forward. "So why did he choose to show himself to Claudia instead of Mrs. Frederick?" Myka spoke up, her voice a little shaky. Mr. Kosan glanced at Mrs. Frederick before answering. "I don't know the answer to that. You are going to have to ask him yourself." he said quietly, already heading towards the door to signal this conversation was done. Artie looked confused before the computer beeped at them all, causing Claudia to hurry back to the chair and typing quickly. "An artifact's been moved." she said hurriedly, sharing a glance with the others. Artie stood stock still, staring at the computer. "Artie?" Pete's voice filtered through, sounding nervous and worried. "He's here, isn't he?" Artie spoke, his voice low but was still heard by everyone in the room. They all looked at Mrs. Frederick who nodded silently. Artie quickly grabbed his tesla before marching quickly out of the door and down the stairs. The agents shared a worried glance before hurrying to catch up to their boss. Mrs. Frederick sighed softly and looked out the window at the Warehouse. "Do be careful, Guardian Rhettmune." she said softly before following Mr. Kosan out of the Warehouse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Eh...not my best work, but hey, I'm trying. Read and Review if you would please.))


	5. Chapter 5 - The Meeting of Minds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team rushes to find the intruder, and finally get to meet the mysterious Guardian.

They ran through the aisles, pulling out tesla guns and handguns in a hurried mess. They came spinning around a corner, only to find the aisle ahead of them empty. Glancing around, Pete was the first to speak. "Uh, Artie... where's the intruder?" he asked quietly. Artie ignored him and wandered further into the aisle, his eyes darting back and forth. He soon reached where Pavlov's Bell was supposed to be. He checked, only to find a note in it's place. He picked it up and read it. 'I have come back from the Bronze age.' it read, causing him to wonder what it meant. He handed it to Myka who had walked up behind him. She read it with a raised eyebrow before looking up at Artie. "What does it mean?" she voiced the very question he was asking himself currently. Claudia walked up and read the note before looking up, as confused as the others. "I don't get it." Artie muttered, causing them all to look at him as he started pacing. "What does it mean?" he continued to mutter to himself and pace before Steve looked at the note and looked up. "Why is bronze capitalized in this?" he asked, causing everyone to look at him. "What?" he asked, holding up his hands in defense. "Bronze capitalized...bronze...Bronze!" Artie's eyes widened before he spun on his heels and took off at a quick run. Which wasn't very quick to everyone else. They just shared a look and took off after him.

When they managed to catch up to him, he was standing by a shelf with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. They looked at him worriedly but he ignored their looks and pointed forward. "Bronze...Sector" he gasped out, trying to even out his breathing and ultimately failing. They all looked up at the Bronze Sector and froze. There, sitting on the step that lead up to the Bronzer and fiddling with Pavlov's Bell, was the same man in Claudia's dream. The Grey pinstripe suit, the blonde hair, and especially the scar on his face, everything was there. He glanced up at them before letting a small smirk play on his face. "Took you enough time." he muttered softly before standing and casually walking over towards them, the smirk never leaving his face. "Hello Agents of Warehouse 13." he spoke up, addressing them all as his smirk dropped. "I am Guardian Rhettmun, and I am here to continue my service to the Warehouse, Regents, and Caretaker." the last part he spared a quick glance at Claudia before redirecting his attention to the man who was just getting his breath back. "I take it that you are Agent Nielsen? Head Agent of Warehouse 13?" he asked, his face passive as he studied the elder man. Artie nodded and managed to stand straight again before speaking. "And your the Guardian who none of us have ever heard of before." he stated, his eyes narrowing at the man. The Guardian looked unruffled and just shrugged slightly. "I know that Mrs. Frederick already told you of the dangers of my appearance too soon." he rebuffed, his eyes revealing nothing. Artie just nodded. "So what? Are we just supposed to trust you now?" he couldn't help but bark out the question, always wary of newcomers. The other man shrugged again, which was quickly wearing on Artie's nerves but he held his tongue. "If you don't trust me, send me out on a mission with your Caretaker To-Be and I will prove it." he offered, sparing Claudia another glance. "And why would I let you go with Claudia instead of anyone else?" Artie snapped, causing the other man to refocus his attention on him. "Because I do not aid normal Agents of the Warehouse." his voice was cold, sending small shivers up and down the team's backs. Pete actually shivered slightly and Claudia inched slightly closer to Steve. Artie seemed shocked before quickly taking a breath before nodding. "Fine." he growled before pulling out a purple glove. He put it on before holding his hand out for the bell. The Guardian looked down at the bell before shrugging more to himself and handing it over. "Very well. Let me know when you are ready to send out the Caretaker on a mission and I will be ready." he stated before spinning on his heels and walking away, casually glancing around at all the artifacts that were around. "I don't like this." Pete muttered, just loud enough for the team to hear him. Myka agreed and Artie simply nodded. "I agree, but we can't exactly do anything about it." he said softly before turning and walking off to return the bell. Claudia glanced at Steve, a worried look had passed across his face. "I don't trust him." he muttered softly. Claudia just nodded before grabbing his hand and pulling him back towards the office. "Come on, the sooner we prove him safe the sooner we can ignore him." she muttered, but deep down she was sure he wouldn't be easy to ignore.


	6. Chapter 6 - Mission Destruction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mission: retrieve the artifact. The issue: The Guardian. The Solution: Have the Guardian take care of the mess. Will it work out? No one knows, but they know Artie won't be pleased.

It didn't take long. The Guardian had disappeared and was currently wandering around somewhere on the Warehouse floor. Steve and Claudia were cuddling on the couch as he tried to calm her down. She didn't know why but the Guardian freaked her out, but she wasn't the only one. Artie's hands were shaking as he continued to type away at the computer searching for a clue or a ping. Pete and Myka were brushing up on the manual, much to Pete's chagrin. He was currently slumped in his chair, complaining as Myka got even more annoyed. She tried to get him to at least try to read it but he flat out refused, irritating her even further. "Damn it Pete! You need to know this stuff." she finally exclaimed, tossing the book on the table and glaring at her childish partner. He ignored the outburst and instead spun around to look at the rest of the room. "So does anyone else not like the new guy?" he asked out loud, sparing a quick glance at the door in case the man mentioned showed up. "He's not actually new you know." Artie muttered but other than that ignored the agents in the room. Steve simply nodded and Claudia sighed softly. "Is something wrong Claud?" Pete looked concerned as he focused on the younger agent. She seemed more affected than the others by the appearance of the Guardian and was now staring off into space. "I just...I don't know why, but I feel weird when he's around." she finally confessed, looking at her knees and picking at a string. Artie spun in his chair and looked at her worriedly, before speaking quietly. "How so?" his question was barely heard but it caused Claudia to look up. She thought about it before speaking. "I...I'm not sure..." 

She was about to say more but at that moment the computer beeped. Artie quickly spun around and typed quickly. At that moment, the Guardian came into the room looking slightly ruffled. "Ping." he said as at the exact time Artie spoke up. "We got a ping." What followed next was dead silence for ten seconds as everyone stared at him. The only sign that he noticed was the slight eyebrow raise by him before he spoke. "What?" he glanced at the other agents before returning his attention to Artie. "Which team will be taking care of this ping, Agent Neilsen?" he asked, seemingly forcing himself to become polite. Artie noticed before nodding to Pete and Myka. Pete pumped the air excitedly while Myka cracked a smile. The Guardian nodded before turning back towards the door, only to freeze a moment later. "Ping." he said quietly, and a few seconds later the computer went off again. Artie grumbled something before nodding and looking at Steve and Claudia. "You two are up." he said softly before quickly typing away and printing out some files for them. "We got a ping. Something is causing people to become stone." he said gruffly as he shoved them out the door and the Guardian followed silently, watching with slight amusement as they argued with each other.

Somewhere in Texas, Pete and Myka were trying hard not to get caught up in the dancing. It was made even harder when the music was an awesome song according to Pete and the artifact itself was a radio that caused people to spontaneously dance. The one downside: it sucked people dry. Which explained why they were currently wearing ear plugs and trying really hard not to think about dancing. It was working, to an extent. Myka had slapped her hands over her ears but could already feel the pull of the artifact. Her leg was starting to twitch very slightly and she would occasionally slap it. It didn't actually help but she felt like it did. Pete was faring slightly better, having grabbed someone's headphones to put on before slapping his hands over the headphones as well. He soon reached the artifact and went for the goo, only to find it had been left with Myka, who was currently losing the fight against the artifact. He gulped before making his way back over to his partner. By the time he reached her, she had given in and started dancing to the music. He struggled against her for a few moments before finally jerking the goo canister off her shoulder and tossing it at the radio. It fizzled as it made contact and bright sparks flew up into the air as everyone slowly stopped dancing. Myka stopped dancing and glanced worriedly at Pete. "Pete...?" her voice was nervous, wondering what happened. He just grinned at her and pointed at the radio. She sighed softly before returning the smile and nodding. "Good. Now let's get it back to Artie." he nodded and the high fived before grabbing the radio and heading towards their car.

Somewhere in Oklahoma, it wasn't going all that well. The artifact in question was a small stone that had been chipped from a weapon of some sort in the past. It had somehow fallen into a gang leader's hands and he was now using it to expand his empire. When the agents had shown up he hadn't taken it well, leading them ducking behind some pillars as his gang opened fire at them. Steve glanced at the Guardian who looked almost bored with this. "Are you going to help or what?" he hissed, showing his frustration. Claudia glanced at them before returning her attention to the gang members. "They don't know about the Warehouse, and they have not hurt Agent Donovan. This is your issue Agent Jinx." he said quietly, his voice even as he leaned against the pillar. Steve couldn't stop the growl of anger that was ripped from his throat as he spun around and fired some shots at the gang members. "Your useless!" he yelled, ducking back as a volley of bullets came dangerously close to hitting him. The Guardian didn't respond, just watch the battle. Claudia couldn't help but agree, but didn't say a word about it. Suddenly the firing stopped, causing the two agents to share a look of surprise. The gang leader stepped forward and spoke loudly. "Come on out. We want to talk." Steve shook his head, already knowing there wasn't a chance for that to happen. "What do you want?" the Guardian suddenly spoke up, causing the pair to glance at him. Claudia suddenly had a feeling that this wasn't going to end well. "We want the Warehouse." the gang leader called, smirking wide. Steve was still staring at the Guardian when he noticed the other's eyes darken suddenly. He gulped as he watched the man step out from behind the pillar and slowly walk towards the gang. "And how do you know about the Warehouse?" he asked, his voice dropping to a dangerously low tone leaving unspoken threats in the air. The leader just shook his head. "Not gunna tell you anything weirdo." he stated, pointing his gun at the man. His eyes started to darken from blue to almost black, and black smoke started to slowly billow off his hand. "If you will not tell me, I will take it from you." He stated simply before slashing his hand through the air. All of a sudden, all of the gang members guns atarted to melt as their leader'w eyes began to bug out from the sudden lack of oxygen. Several silent seconds passed before the black smoke that found its way around his throat dissapated, letting the leader drop to the ground as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. The man in the suit sniffed slightly before turning and marching past the two agents who were standing there mouths agape at what happened. With a dark smirk, the man stopped just behind them before speaking again. "You might want to close your mouths. My ways of extraction are not the kindest on the nose." He chuckled as their mouths snapped shut before walking away. They shared a look, suddenly scared of the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((Not my best work. I didn't want him to end up like super overpowered but in my mind's eye this was already an ability of his so no regrets. Read and Review if you would kindly.))


	7. Chapter 7 - Mission End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The agents take the Guardian back to the Warehouse to get chewed out by Artie. That's when they find out about his true purpose.

Artie was beyond mad. One could even say he was pissed. His eyes flashed dangerously as he stormed around the office, slamming some paperwork down beside Claudia causing her to jump before spinning around and glaring at the Guardian. "What do you THINK you were doing?! Why would you kill him?!" he bellowed, his voice raising to dangerous levels causing the other agents to wince. The Guardian just leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes in silence. Artie continued to rant and rave for a few more minutes before spinning around again and glaring. "Just tell me why?" his voice lowering. The Guardian finally stood up and walked towards Artie, causing the elder gentleman to take a small step back. "No one knows what my job entails, do they?" his voice was quiet, reserved. When the group at large shook their heads in the negative he sighed softly. "That is what I thought." pulling himself to his full height, his eyes wandered around the room before landing on Claudia. Something was off about her, but he didn't know what. She was an agent, but it seemed like she was something more. Whatever, he had a 'class' to teach about what a Guardian actually does. "A Guardian's mission is to protect the Warehouse, the Regents," at this he gave a soft snort of derision. "and the Caretaker." he glanced back at Claudia, something clicking inside his mind before resuming his speech. "At whatever the cost." his eyes narrowed to near slits. "That means, killing anyone who knows about the Warehouse and could cause a problem later." there was looks of realizations with differing degrees of shock before Artie spoke up again. "We don't need you. This isn't how the Warehouse works." he voice hinted at that being the final verdict but the Guardian didn't look fazed. He stuffed his hands into his suit pants before half-shrugging. "It is not your decision to make. It's the Warehouse's." he glanced out the window with something that was close to a smile before returning his attention to the elderly agent. "Also, no matter what an 'agent' says, the Warehouse needs a Guardian to take care of it from a major disaster." with this he spun on his heels and marched out the door further into the Warehouse.

After a few minutes of silence Pete spoke up first. "I don't know about this...shouldn't we ask the Regents about him staying?" he glanced at Myka who gave him a small nod before turning back to the others. Artie sighed softly and shook his head. "It won't do any good." he muttered, stroking his beard in thought. "They are just going to tell us to work with him." he shook his head and wandered off towards his own room. Claudia watched him go before glancing back at Steve. "This isn't going to end well, is it?" she asked. He nodded before sitting next to her. "Well, this is just going to suck." Pete's voice rose up from the quiet conversation he and Myka were having before storming out through the Umbilicus. Myka gave a shrug and an apologetic smile before following her partner out. Claudia and Steve shared a look before standing simultaneously and walking out into the Warehouse.

The pair wandered the aisles of the Warehouse, keeping their eyes open for the newest addition to the Warehouse. They soon found him sitting cross-legged on top of one of the crates. They shared a look before walking up to him. He glanced over at them with a raised eyebrow before looking back down at his hands. "What do you want, Agents Jinks and Donovan?" his voice was low but clipped, a hint of a British accent mixed in with another accent that was hard to pinpoint. Claudia glanced back at Steve, a little nervous before taking a step forward. "We just wanted to formally welcome you to Warehouse 13." she tried hard not to sound nervous or stutter but apparently failed when he glanced up at her, a small smirk on his face. "And what makes you think this is my first time in the Warehouse?" his voice was light and teasing, but caused the pair to look on shocked. "Wait, you've been in the Warehouse before?!" Steve's voice rose a few octaves, his eyes slowly widening. The Guardian slowly stood up and turned to face the pair, the smirk not leaving. "Yes, I have seen what has happened during my time away from the Warehouse. And I must say, you all do lead interesting lives." he turned and started walking down the aisle before stopping and glancing back. "It will be fun to work with you lot." he said before disappearing further into the Warehouse, leaving the agents unsure and confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ((And fin. Sorry it's so short. I hope you all enjoyed this. And if you didn't, please let me know how I can do better. More stories in series to come!))

**Author's Note:**

> If you don't mind, let me know how I'm doing. Only constructive criticism please. Anything other than that, I will just ignore. Thanks! And cheers.


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